Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Having a baby is
supposed to be one of the happiest times of your life. But for some women,
childbirth can be the trigger that causes them to temporarily 'lose their
minds'.

Every
year, about 1,000 women in the UK
suffer from what is called postpartum psychosis. Most of them will need several
weeks in hospital to help them recover but, because of the stigma of mental
illness, it is not often talked about.

When
I gave birth to my baby daughter Ettie, I was absolutely elated. But this
elation soon turned into a form of mania - non-stop talking, an inability to
sleep, an exhausting energy - all of which were unnatural and unsustainable.

I
became very irritable, suffering from extreme mood swings and hallucinations. I
was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for several weeks.

That period in my life was not one I discussed
readily with anyone. It was so far from most people's experience of new
motherhood and because of the stigma of mental illness that exists in our
society, I felt slightly ashamed.

Would
people want to associate with a "crazy person"? Might they think I
was "a bad mother"?

It
took me a few years to get over that feeling and it is only recently that I
have had the opportunity to meet other women who have also suffered from
postpartum or puerperal psychosis.

Sharing
stories was a liberating experience and prompted us to become involved in a
Wellcome-funded project to publicise the illness and tackle the stigma that
hinders recovery.

The
project is called Unravelling Eve. It was conceived by artist Joan Molloy, an
artist and mother of two whose work has focused on themes of family, memory and
time.

I
helped to run a workshop where Joan met a group of women who had all had
postpartum psychosis, to hear what the experience had been like for them.

For
the first time, these women were able to talk about the terrible impact of the
illness.

Tracy
spoke of her terrifying hallucinations: "I thought I'd given birth to the
anti-Christ and my child, I believed, had little devils living inside his
stomach which would come out at night and dance around my kitchen floor."

Some spoke of suicidal thoughts and being
convinced that their babies would be better off without them.

For
some it also took a long while to get better. "I felt like a zombie for at
least a year or two", says Ceri. "I can't remember how long I was on
anti-psychotics for - obviously the drugs saved my life, but my goodness they
take a while to recover from."

With
treatment each of these women recovered, but it was a life-changing experience
for them all.

So
why does it happen to some new mothers?

Joan
and I went to see Dr Ian Jones of CardiffUniversity, a perinatal
psychiatrist and expert on the condition.

He
explained: "When we're talking about postpartum psychosis, we're talking
about some of the most severe episodes of illness we see in psychiatry."

"These
are women who very quickly after childbirth have an episode triggered that may
involve lots of different mood symptoms.

Tragically,
if the symptoms are not recognised in time, in rare cases this can result in
suicide or, very rarely, infanticide.

The
causes of postpartum psychosis are unclear, though we do know that genetic
factors are important. You are more likely to have postpartum psychosis if a
close relative has had it.

Changes
in hormone levels and disrupted sleep patterns may also be involved.

More
research is needed, so we have set up a new charity called Action on Postpartum
Psychosis (APP) to raise awareness and support women and their partners who
feel isolated.

For
many women with postpartum psychosis there is no warning, but if you have
bipolar disorder you are at considerably greater risk, so it is wise to find
out about postpartum psychosis and prepare yourself just in case.

Due to a shortage of specialist beds, many
women will have to be admitted to a general psychiatric hospital, usually
without their baby.

But
some parts of the country are lucky enough to have specialist mother and baby
units where women can keep their newborns with them for the weeks or months it
takes to recover.

We
visited the oldest of these, the Channi Kumar Unit at the BethlemRoyalHospital,
south London.

They
support the mother in developing a relationship with her infant in order to
reduce the impact of the illness on the child.

Mothers
and babies can stay together or the mothers can stay on their own with a
gradual reintroduction to their babies on the ward.

The
average length of inpatient treatment is eight to 12 weeks, and staff encourage
the involvement of fathers or partners in the treatment process.

Perinatal
psychiatrist Dr Trudi Seneviratne says their aim is to prepare mothers for a
lasting return to the community.

"One
of the joys of working in a unit like this is that women do get better",
she says. BBC.